Garage door hanger



June 20, 1939.

A. L. CLARK 7 2,163,394

GARAGE DOOR HANGER Filed June 20, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l h iizverziofi:

4677701? L. CiMw/(u June 20, 1939. CLARK 2,163,394

GARAGE DOOR HANGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 20, 1958 INVENTOR. ARTHUR L CL ARK ATTORNEY.

Patented June 20, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in garage door hangers, and has for its principal object to move the door vertically and horizontally to an overhead position. I

A further object of my invention is to provide hangers for a garage door whereby a single track may be employed to carry the upper end of the door, and means to carry each side thereof, said means coacting in their movement to guide the door to an open or closed position.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a system of counter balancing weights that will carry the door uniformly from its open to a closed position. V

A still further object of my invention is to provide an adjustment for the weight cable connections whereby, should the weights exceed the Weight of the door, or vice versa, the same may be equalled by the adjustment provided.

These and other objects will hereinafter be more fully explained, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like characters will apply to like parts in the different views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an inside perspective view of the garage door and its hangers.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the adjustable feature carried by the rockable arm.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view through the top of the door and head jamb illustrating the trolley as a modified arrangement to guide and carry the top of the door.

Fig. 5 is a transverse view of a trolley and hanger, the track being in cross section.

My invention herein disclosed relates to a hanging mechanism for a garage door I, said door as a closing means for the opening of a garage or like structure. The hangers, supporting and conducting said door, consist of an overhead track 2 on which a sleeve 3 slideably engages, functioning as a trolley, carrying the top portion of the door, the sleeve being connected thereto through the medium of a shank 4 that is hingedly connected to a stiffening bar 5, crossing the door at its upper extremity, by which means when the door is opened it is free to slide longitudinally on the said overhead track, the track being preferably cylindrical in cross section to receive the sleeve thereon.

The lower portion of the door is carried by arms 6, said arms each being bent at a right angle to engage on the inside of the door and rockably secured thereto by clips I, while the other ends .of said arms each rockably engage in an apertured hanger 8, said hanger being secured to a post 8 that is vertically positioned, the said posts being the supporting means for the outer ends of their respective beams 9, the other ends of which are secured to the wall of the garage adjacent the upper end of the door, and the said beams each have sheaves l0 and H trunnioned on the inside 10 thereof, and upon which cables l2 and I3 will engage. The said cables each have a weight I4 and [5 respectively secured to their corresponding ends. The other ends as at It and I5 are secured to an apertured bar It that is attached to 15 the upper side of arm 6, by means later described, the apertures as at ['1 being spaced therealong, and in which cables are secured selectively, the position of which is governed by the gravity action of the weights to counterbalance the door, that is to say should the weights exceed that of the door the connection of the cables should be positioned selectively in apertures spaced from the door and vice versa should the door exceed the gravity action of the Weights. 25

To secure the door in its closed position, I have arranged a lock consisting of a bolt 18 that is spring tensioned in its housing iii, the upper end of the bolt engaging in the keeper 20 in the head jamb of the door. To disengage the look there is 30 a connecting rod 2| attached to the lower end of the bolt and to a crank 22 that turns with a shank 23, to which is secured a handle 24 as turning means therefor, moving the bolt to unlock the door, after which the upper portion of 35 the door may be moved inward as starting means to open the same in a horizontal position as shown by dotted lines A in Fig. 2, and in its movement to such position, arm 6, asattached to the door, will follow the dotted line B to its vertical posi- 40 tion as shown by dotted lines C. When so positioned, the weights I8 will drop downward as shown by dotted lines D in Fig. 2 while weights IE will drop to the position as shown by dotted lines E. 45 To close the door, there is placed at the under side thereof, medial of its width, an arm 25 hingedly connected at its upper end as at 2G, and being tensioned to engage against the door by a leaf spring 21 that is positioned under the 50 hinge bolt, while the outer ends thereof engage against the wings F of the hinge, by which means the door is moved from its horizontal plane to a closed position. As a convenient means to rock thev arm downward, there is placed at the free 55 I so end thereof a drop cord 28, as shown in Fig. 2, said cord extending downward within reach.

In Figs. 4 and 5 is shown a modified guiding means for the top of the door which is accomplished through the medium of a trolley 29, the wheels of which roll on the oppositely disposed flanges of a T-iron, the leg 3| of which extends upward as stiifening means for the trolley track, said trolley being hingedly connected at the top of the door as at G to'permit rocking movement when the door is being opened and closed. I

In Figs. 1 and 2 is shown one hookup for the weights as an example for description; for instance, to combine all four of the weights'it is found that they exceed the weightof the door, and the said Weights will counteract the purchase of each other, and at all times will tend'to'coac't to produce a constant resultant tension along the door line of travel from its vertical to a horizontal plane; in other words, when arm 6 is rocked upward so that the contact point of cables I2 and I3 are aligned between the upper periphery of the sheave II and the point where the arm is pivotally connected-to the post weight I5 is neutral, while the connecting point of weight I 4 has approached its maximum purchase to move the door to a horizontal position, and when so positioned the said weight I4 overbalances the door closing tendency of weight I5 so that the door will remain against retraction. However, the said Weight I 5 will assist in retraction movement of the door and also assist weight I4 as it loses its purchase as the door approaches its vertical position, at which time, when the door is closed, weight I I has lost some of its purchase due to the angle of its respective cable I! as connected to the arm a spaced distance from the door, but counteracted by the lesser weight I5 through the semidirect pull of its cable 13, the connecting point of which is spaced outward from the connecting point of the other cable.

Inasmuch as doors vary in weight with respect to weights purported to balance such doors, and for such reason previously described, the free end of the cables are attached in their respective apertures I'I selectively, and for a closer adjustment, the said bar I6 is slideably arranged on arm 6 and secured thereto by clamps I5 at a selected position along said arm without seriously impairing the purchase of either weight-when the bar is rocked to a'vertical position. The adjustment must be such that the door will remain in its closed position and retained in its horibe arranged in which the weights will move vertically, and such other modifications may be I madeas'lie within the scope of the appended claims.

Having fully described my invention what I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In garage door hangers, hangers of the class described, an am, one end of which is rockably connected-adjacent each side edge of the door, a post spacedfromthe'door and to which the other end of said arm is pivotally connected, on which connection the arm will rock carrying the door therewith, means to secure the post vertically, a pair of sheaves trunnioned on said means andbeing spaced apart, a cable to engage on each sheave, one end-of each cable being secured to the arm adjacent the door and a weight connected to'the oth'er end of each cable as retaining means for the door at its rocked position, and a track horizontally positioned as guiding means for the door as said door is rocked from a vertical to a-horizontal position.-

2. In garage door'hangers, hangers of the class described, anarm, one endof which is rockably connected adjacent each side edge of the door, a post spaced from-the door and to which the other end of said am is rockably connected, on i which connection the arm will rock, carrying the door therewith, means to secure the post vertically, a pair of sheaves trunnioned on said means and being spa-ced apart, a cable to engage on each sheave, one end of each cable adjustably' 

